Rail-joint.



No. 665,490. Patented lan. 8, |90l.

M. WALDVOGEL. A

RAIL JOINT.

(Application filed May 4, 1900.)

(un nodel.)

UNITED STATES NPATENT UEEICE.

MARTIN WALDVOGEL, OF ATCO, NEW JERSEY.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 665,490, dated January8, 1901.

Application led May 4, 1900.

To (tZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, MARTIN WALDvoeEL, a.

citizen of the United States, residing at Atco, j in the county ofCamden and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Rail-Joint,of which the following isaspecication.

My invention relates to rail-joints; and it has for its object toproduce a rail-joint which will be solid, strong, and durable, and whichwill form a substantially continuous rail, thereby avoiding theunevenness of the road or track which is caused by the construction andjoining of the rails as used upon the railroads at the present time.

With this object in view my invention consists in the improvedconstruction of a railjoint, as will be hereinafter more fully setforth.

In the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference-numeralsindicate corresponding parts in each`of the views in which they occur,Figure l is a perspective vie-w of a section of track in which the railsare provided with my improved joint. longitudinal sectional View throughone of the joints. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the same,and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the ends of two rails forming myimproved joint. Referring more particularly to the drawings, l and 2indicate the rails for forming a railroad-track, which may be of anysize or construction in cross-section and of any suitable length. Eachend of each of the rails is provided with means for forming myimprovedrail-joint. One of the rails is of substantially the same width from topto bottom, as shown at 3, and is recessed or hollowed out, as shown at4, for a suitable distance, and the walls of the recess are providedwith oppositely-disposed openings or cut-away portions 5. The top ortreadpof the rail is cut away, as shown at 6, from the rear or inner endof the recess 4 to the end of the rail. Theopposite end of the rail hasits face cut away, as shown at 7, and the web 8 is formed ofsubstantially the same area in cross-section as the cross-sectional areaof the recess 4, so that when the ends of two rails are joined togetherthe web of the one will tit in the recess of the other, thereby holdingthe rails rigidly in Fig. 2 is a Serial No. 15,495. (No model.)

alinement with each other. The top or tread 9 of the rail will tit inthe cut-away portion of the corresponding rail, so that it will lieperfectly smooth and dat with the tread of the other rail. -In thismanner the abutting ends of the two rails are always held in perfectalinement with each other and any unevenness in the track caused by theends of the rails being forced downward is entirely avoided. The web 8is further provided with laterally-extending headed pins orprojectionsl0, which are adapted to lit into the notches or openings 5 in the wallsof the end of the other rail. The web of the rail 2, adjacent to the endof the rail 1, is of substantially the same width from the top to thebottom, so as to correspond with the thickened portion 3 of thecompanion rail.

As above described, it will be seen that by forming each rail in themanner above described the companion ends of the adjacent rails can beinterlocked with each other by simply dropping the end of rail 2 downinto the end or box-like portion of rail 3 and nailing the rails to theties in the ordinary manner. If desired, walls l1 on the end of rail lmay be slightly tapered toward the top, so that when the bolts or headedpins of the rail 2 are slipped down into the notches or opention anddraw the parts more firmly together, thus prod ucinga very rigid unionbetween the two rails. As the rails at the joint are of substantiallythe same area in cross-section from top to bottom, it will be seen thata joint formed from rails as above described will possess greaterstrength at the joint than at any other point throughout its length,thereby preventing the possibility of the rails being spread laterallyat their joints and avoiding the use of the ordinary plates and of nutsand bolts for securing them together, as is necessary with the rails inpresent use.

It will be understood that my improved railjoint can be used uponstreet-car tracks or any other place as readily and as satisfactorily asit can be used upon the ordinary railroad, thereby increasing itsutility and rendering such tracks substantially continuous throughouttheir length.

Having thus fully described my invention,

ings 5 they will engage with this inclined por- IOO what I claim itsnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a rail-joint, the combination, with a rail provided with abox-like receptacle at its end, the Walls of which l(ire provided withopen-topped transverse recesses, of a second rail, the end of which isreduced to fit in said box-like receptacle and its sides are providedwith integral projections to enter said recesses, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a, reil-joint, the combinatiomwith a rail, the end of which isprovided with e boxlike receptacle, the Walls of which are provided withregistering, opentopped transversely-arranged openings and the top ortread of the rail is cutaway down to seid recesses, of a second rail,the end of which is reduced and cut away to [it in said box-likereceptacle and the tread at its upper edge is extended to the end ofsaid reduced portion in position to fit within the out-away portion atthe top of the other rail and the sides are provided with integrallaterally-extending headed pins to enter the recesses in the walls ofsaid box-like receptacle, substantially as described.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a rail for railroads, one of theends of which is provided With an open-topped box-like receptacle, thewalls of which are inclined toward the top upon their outer surface, andprovided With open-topped transverse recesses, the tread of the railbeing cut away the entire length of said box-like receptacle, and theother end is reduced to substantially the sinne aree in cross-section usthe cross-sectional area of the box-like receptacle, and the tread isextended to the end of the rail, the sides of said reduced portion beingprovided with integral laterally-projecting headed pins in position Loengage with the inclined portion of the walls of said box-likereceptacle, substantially as described.

MARTIN VVALDV() GEL.

Witnesses:

WM. H. NoRoRoss, FRANK S. BECKLEY.

